Join us on February 3rd, Monday, at 2:00pm, Lippitt Hall 4th floor Auditorium, for an the inaugural talk:

“Modeling the dynamics of centrosome movement”
by Dr. Sarah Olson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Abstract: In this talk I will first given an overview of my mathematical journey and how I ended up focusing on computational biology research. I will then talk about a collaborative project related to cell division in cancer cells with extra centrosomes. During cell division, the spindle is composed of a network of dynamic microtubules and motor proteins that generate forces to form a bipolar spindle, with each pole organized around a single centrosome. Disruption in force generating activities through protein depletions or alterations to centrosome number, alter spindle structure and affect the fate of the cell. Centrosome amplification leads to multipolar spindle formation and multipolar division, which results in daughter cells with decreased viability. However, cancer cells actively cluster extra centrosomes to form a functional bipolar spindle. We highlight modeling and experimental efforts to understand the dominant forces that lead to the formation of either a multipolar or functional bipolar spindle in the case of extra centrosomes.

Bio: Sarah Olson is the William Steur Professor and Department Head of Mathematical Sciences at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She is affiliated with the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program. Olson received her undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Biology from Providence College, a master’s from the University of Rhode Island in Mathematics, and a Ph.D. in Biomathematics from North Carolina State University. She completed her postdoc at Tulane University and has worked in the general areas of fluid dynamics, scientific computing, and mathematical biology.